CC 2024-10-22_8 Supplemental 1
MEMORANDUM
TO: City Council
FROM: Jessica Matson, Director of Legislative & Information Services/City
Clerk
SUBJECT: Supplemental Information
Agenda Item 8. – October 22, 2024 City Council Meeting
Community Comments and Suggestions
DATE: October 22, 2024
Attached is public comment received prior to 2 p.m.
cc: City Manager
Assistant City Manager/Public Works Director
Director of Administrative Services
City Attorney
City Clerk
City Website and Public Review Binder
Enc
Jessica Matson
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Attachments:
Hi Jessica,
Garry Schmidt <
Sunday, October 20, 2024 9:39 PM
Jessica Matson
Letter to the City Council Members
Letter to AG CC 10-20-24.docx
The attached letter relates to a topic that is NOT on the Tuesday CC Agenda, but will be quite
soon. It expresses concerns that we'd like the Council members to be aware of as the SCSS
base rate increase request is processed. Please distribute it as soon as you can, and I will be
at the Tuesday night meeting this week to call attention to this letter.
Thank you,
Garry
1
October 20, 2024
TO: Arroyo Grande City Council
FROM: Garry Schmidt, Sunrise Terrace Budget and Finance Committee Secretary
REGARDING: South County Sanitary Services (SCSS) Base Rate Increase Request
The SCSS base rate increase request has been or will be received by Arroyo Grande in the near future.
I am writing to let you know what happened to Sunrise Terrace Mobilehome Park after you approved
the rate increase last time on June 14, 2022. As you remember, it was a larger than normal increase,
totaling 27%+ for the remainder of 2022. Without any written notification or explanation, as is
required in the Franchise Agreement, SCSS imposed a 54% increase on our community. This was
justified in their eyes by the change in the definition of a “Multi-Family Dwelling Unit” which was
amended in the 2022 Franchise Agreement from what had existed up to that time. For all the years
since 1996 that SCSS served our community up to August of 2022, we were billed at the “residential”
rate. The 54% increase that we experienced was due to SCSS converting our community to the
“commercial” rate. Please bear in mind that +55 mobile home parks are the most affordable options
for people on fixed incomes, and that we are least able to pay these exorbitant rates. I am sure that
you were not aware that this would happen to mobile home park residents when the park receives
one bill for all residences in the park.
The “commercial” rate is 20% higher than the “residential” rate, and for our park this amounts to
around $45,000 over the past three years. For each year going forward it will be over $20,000 a year,
increasing each year. This is an amazing business practice when you consider that our mobile home
park receives reduced service from SCSS compared to other residential neighborhoods. We do NOT
have the benefit of the bi-annual cleanup day. Residents here do NOT have the option to go on
extended vacation rates when absent for extended periods, which means that SCSS does NOT have to
come to pick up trash bins and redeliver them when service is resumed. SCSS does NOT have to
manage 300 individual bills and receives full payment for 300 residences in a single check each
month. Even at “residential” rates SCSS would be making “bank” on us. YOU’D THINK A COMMUNITY
SUCH AS OURS SHOULD BE BILLED LESS THAN NORMAL “RESIDENTIAL” RATES , but that is not the way
SCSS chooses to see it after many futile efforts to appeal for rational thinking.
The only option given to us by SCSS to reduce costs is for 100% of our residents to set up individual
billing. If we do that each Customer will be billed at the “residential” rate. Although this will be an
inconvenience for many of our older, single residents, it is something that we must seriously consider.
In order to be fully informed on the pros and cons of this possible change there are some things that
we need to know from the City. I have sent several questions to the Manager and Assistant Manager
two times, without response. So, I am asking you for answers to these two questions: ONE, when do
you expect to respond to the SCSS base rate increase request? Last time, in 2022, it was not
processed until June 14, 2022, resulting in a temporary rate increase of 5% above the 22% for the
remainder of the year. The answer to this question will help us prepare our budget for 2025, which
must be distributed to our membership by December 1, 2024. SECOND, the AG City Code allows for
more than one residence to share a trash bin, “subject to conditions established by the city”. (see
8.32.030 b). The question is, what are these conditions and how might they apply to Sunrise Terrace?
Thank you for your consideration of these concerns and the answers to our pertinent questions.